'Propaganda cannot decide India's fate': Amit Shah's fitting riposte to Rihanna & co

Weighing in on the comments of international personaliies on the farm stir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that no "propaganda" can deter India's unity. Comments by Barbadian pop star Rihanna, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and US Vice President Kamala Harris's niece Meena Harris on the farm stir sparked off a controversy as it was perceived as foreign meddling in India's internal affairs. Shah backed the MEA's statement arguing against the use of sensationalist hashtags and comments and stressed that propaganda cannot stop India from attaining new heights. 

Read: 'Propaganda To Destabilize Country Won't Be Accepted': UP CM Yogi Hits Out At Rihanna & Co

MEA cautions foreign celebrities

In a strongly-worded statement, the MEA made it clear that the farm reforms were enacted by the Parliament after a full debate and discussion. Maintaining that only a very small section of farmers have reservations about these laws, it mentioned that the Centre has not only conducted 11 rounds of talks with farm unions but also offered to keep the implementation of the laws on hold. The MEA lamented that "vested groups" were trying to derail the protests despite this scenario.

To buttress its point, it highlighted the violence that took place in the national capital during the farmers' tractor rally. Moreover, the Ministry linked the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statues in different parts of the world to the instigation by fringe elements seeking to mobilize international support against India. Thereafter, it called upon the foreign entities and individuals to ascertain the facts before "rushing to comment" on such matters. 

Read: Arnab Goswami: Don't Need Rihanna, Greta Or Lilly Singh Telling Us How To Run Our Country

The impasse over farm laws continues

At present, the talks between the Union government and the farmers' unions have come to a standstill. This development comes after the associations refused to agree to the Centre's proposal for suspending the implementation of the aforesaid legislation for one and a half years. While the last round of talks lasted for nearly 5 hours, the farmers claimed that the two sides sat face-to-face for less than 30 minutes. Maintaining that there was no problem in the three agrarian laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar categorically said that the Union government is ready for another meeting only if the farmers want to discuss this proposal.

This comes even as the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the farm laws and formed a committee to resolve the standoff between the protesting farmers and the Centre. The situation further exacerbated on January 26 after the farmers' tractor rally turned violent resulting in 510 Delhi police personnel getting injured and extensive damage to public property. Until now, the police has registered 44 FIRs in connection with the violence. 

Read: Centre Puts Twitter In Place For non-compliance Against Instigating Handles; Issues Notice